Various panel systems can be placed in connection with a building, for example in connection with a balcony, a terrace or a canopy of a building. It is often a panel made of glass or a similar material, the system comprising several panels. Panel systems can also be placed inside a building, for example as walls.
Panel systems typically comprise an upper profile and a lower profile which are used as guide tracks and inside which are placed the movable hinge devices and guides, on which the panel, in turn, is mounted. The panel moves along the guide tracks by means of said hinge devices and guides.
The upper and lower profiles are normally horizontal and fastened to the structures of e.g. a building. The lower profile can be placed flush with the floor or higher than that, for example on the edge of a balcony. By the hinge devices, the single panels can be opened and closed, whereby they are pivoted around a normally vertical rotation axis. By means of the guides in the panel, the panel remains e.g. closed, and when the guide is allowed to come out of the profile, it is possible to open the panel.
The hinge devices may be provided with locking devices for locking the panels to the profile or to another panel. The panels can be moved and opened to form one bundle when a larger opening is to be provided in the system, for ventilation or passage. Panel systems of prior art are disclosed in documents EP 2119864 A2, WO 04/011752 A1, WO 03/042482 A1, and WO 02/29177 A1.
In many cases, the structures on which the upper profile is mounted, change in their dimensions, straightness or in other respects in the course of time, for example because of various loads effective on the building. This may have negative effects on the installation and the functionality of particularly a panel system, in which the panels are suspended from the upper profile and the whole weight of the panels falls on the upper profile.